1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to livestock feeders and more specifically to feeders designed to allow the animals to dispense feed themselves in individual portions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Livestock self-feeders are well-known in the art and numerous designs have been developed in an attempt to provide efficient and effective ways to dispense feed through minimal effort by the farmer.
A typical livestock self-feeder is disclosed in Thibault, U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,329 and includes a base member having a feed trough, a hopper positioned thereabove, and a feed wheel having a plurality of uniquely designed spokes rotatably located in the circular trough. An aperture is located in the bottom of the hopper and permits feed to flow into the trough. The feed wheel includes an agitation rod that extends upwards through the aperture and into the hopper.
When the animal turns the wheel, the spokes spread the feed out in the trough. As the trough fills with feed, turning of the spokes by an animal becomes increasingly difficult and the specially designed spokes return some of the feed back towards the center of the trough. However, as the feed is consumed, the feed wheel offers less resistance to movement and additional quantities of feed are dispensed through the aperture and dispersed throughout the trough.
An inherent problem with the feeder disclosed in the '329 is the fact that the only restriction on the flow of feed through the aperture is when a sufficient amount of feed has been dispensed and retained in the trough thereby blocking the aperture. Another problem is that the feed wheel is positioned in the trough.